


Sticky Notes

by elliot_the_wizard



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments (Movies), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alec is boring, Clary and Alec friendship, Designer Magnus, F/M, Isabelle Lightwood Ships Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Love in the workplace, M/M, Magnus Bane Deserves Nice Things, Photographer Alec Lightwood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-12-03 21:13:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11540544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elliot_the_wizard/pseuds/elliot_the_wizard
Summary: Alec Lightwood works as photographer at the popular fashion company, Bane Industries. One day he is sitting in his black faux leather chair, staring down at the black and white photos sitting on his grey desk when something catches his eye. A bright pink sticky note, disrupting his monotone theme. Glaring, he picked it up. 'Hey there blue eyes'. Short story, Malec, mild swearing.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not great at first person, but imma try with this. If I phase out of it at any point, please tell me and I'll fix it.
> 
> I couldn't actually think of anything, so I looked up prompts. Sue me.

As I walked into the office, I sighed in relief. The women at the front desk was flirting relentlessly with me, Camille was it? Anyhow, though she was pretty, I wasn't interested for my own reasons.

I glanced around at the office, considering what to tell my sister when I got home from work that evening. It had become a tradition, really. It all started a year ago when I had first gotten a job at the big fashion company, Bane Industries. The first week or so, after every day at work my little sister would call and ask if anything interesting had happened. My answer would always be the same. "Iz, it was just a normal day at work, nothing happened." At some point my mediocre response started to annoy her to the point of no return and she called me out on it. After that, I made it my goal every day to come up with a long, fantastical stories to amuse her, and in return she would stop pestering me. I was deep in tough, thinking about angels and demons when I sat down at my desk.

I was a photographer at the company, and I was currently sorting through a pile of previous shoots when I noticed something on the edge of my desk. A bright pink sticky note laid there, disrupting the monotone theme of my desk. Curious, I plucked it off the desk and read it. Hey there blue eyes. That was all it said. What on earth? Who would say that? Brows furrowed, flipped it over, thinking perhaps there would be something on the back. Seeing nothing, I placed it onto the corner of my desk, telling myself to get on with my work.

.

"Hey Alec, set three is waiting for you." I glanced up at the person sticking their head through the door and nodded in their direction.

"Thanks Jem. 'Preciate it." The silver haired man smiled in response before ducking his head out of view. I winced as I looked up at the clock. I was ten minutes late to the shoot. I had been so caught up in sorting through the picture that I had lost track of time. I abruptly pushed my chair backwards and stood up, grabbing my camera and rushing to the set.

The theme for this shoot was simple. Blue. The lead designer, Mr. Bane, had created marvelous pieces of clothing all different shade or blue. A cerulean dress, a sky blue silk scarf, and a gorgeous royal blue button down. Truly, his work was always almost magical. It was funny though, nobody ever saw the illustrious Magnus Bane except those that worked closest to him. I wasn't part of the 'elite club' as the other workers called them. I had never seen Mr. Bane, nor did I have any interest in doing so. Photography had been my passion for as long as I could remember.

At age eight, when my brother Jace had requested toy guns and action figures, I had asked for a camera. My parents, being the filthy rich, homophobic (though that was beside the point at that age) bitches they are, bought me a fancy-pants camera. I, being the clumsy eight year old I was, broke it within a month. Afterwards they settled for a cheaper but still ridiculous camera. In the end I had them to that for supporting my hobby, though that was that only thing I had to thank them for. That and giving birth to me, I guess. Though sometimes, I didn't thank them for that.

.

"No, no, no. This is all wrong. Tessa, straighten up, stare to your left. Your other left. Angel, please go put some trousers on. That's a shirt, not a dress." The blonde, Botox covered model glared at me, though I ignored it. I thought I heard a giggle behind me, but when I turned around, there was nobody there, just the dark corridor of my escape. Shaking my head, I turned around to face the plastic Barbie dolls and expensive cameras. "Dear lord. Okay. I think we're done here." I waved at them, without any meaning, before spinning on my heals and practically running to the solitude of my office. As I slumped down on my black faux leather chair, my eyes caught on a blue note stuck to the folder of my recent photos.

"Who the hell is coming into my office." I exclaimed to myself, reaching forward to grab the note. Did you like the new clothes? Was all it said, the loopy handwriting filling the whole page. No signature, no name, nothing. Sighing, I place it on top of the previous one, meaning, in the bin. Somebody was just messing with me. Probably a prank. Haha. Funny.

. 

I glanced at the clock stuck to the grey walls of my office. 11.50. Great. Not even midnight yet. Yes, that was sarcasm, if you couldn't tell. Sighing heavily, I looked down on what I had been working on for the past few hours. Whilst part of me wanted to just finish it off, the small, rational part of my mind told me that I had to get back to my small lonely apartment and sleep until I had to get up at six the next day. Makes sense to just stay here I thought to myself silently, though I started packing up.

Once all my photos were put away in my drawers, I walked out of my office and locked it, my camera around my neck, bouncing as I walked. It was my most prized position, and I took it with me wherever I went. I walked down the hallway, not at all glancing into the windows of others offices. I was anything, but nosy.

As I can predict the future, I could already tell that I wasn't going to get any sleep that night, so I had taken what I had been working on home, along with my fleeting hope to finish it by the next day. As I was about to turn the corner, by thick folders in my arms, I was stopped- well, tripped, by an oncoming person. All my work fell to the floor, the photos falling out of their organized folder and into a messy disarray on the lino floor.

"I'm sorry." I muttered without thinking, bending down without even glancing at the person. Soon though, I felt them bend down next to me and help. When it was all cleaned up, they handed me the little they had helped pick up, and that's when I glance up to see them. Gasping, I took a step back at the sight of the person. A man, around mid-twenty's stared back at me, his golden green eyes looking right into my soul. His hair was filled with glitter, sticking up in fatal looking spikes.

"Kid, what are you apologizing for? I walked into you." Though this was evidently supposed to reassure me, I was caught on the first part.

"I'm not a kid." I say, glaring at the colourful man. He raised a perfect brow at me, making me shiver. He nodded, bobbing his head up and down.

"Sorry, sorry. Just came out." He said, still smirking, though. Then, after he got a good look at me, his beautiful eyes widened, as if he had realised something. "You're the photographer that had the office at the end of the hall." He whispered, staring into my eyes. I broke the gaze, pretending to be sorting out my folders. "Did you like my messages?' he asked cheekily as my eyes whipped up to meet his.

"That was you?" I asked, scandalized. He nodded, smirking yet again. Suddenly he took a step back, startling me.

"Magnus Bane, at your service." He said grandly, sweeping into a low bow. I gasped, though tried to cover it up, hardening my expression.

"So, you're the jerk that's disrupting my boring office with your colourful sticky notes?"


	2. Chapter 2

To be completely honest, I felt kind of bad about yesterday, to say the least. After pretending that I was really pissed at the man –though, I didn't have to try too hard- I left him there after politely requesting that he didn't bother me again. You know when you ask somebody to do something, but you really want them to do the opposite, and you pray they do? Because our crazy species likes to confuse people like that? Well, looking back on it, that's really what I wanted to happen. Though, perhaps Mr Bane could invest in some white sticky notes.

I walked into my office, the weight on my shoulder dragging me down as I slumped onto the chair. After my ordeal last night with Mr Bane, I most definitely hadn't fallen asleep, laying in my bed the whole night, not nodding off even once. Though, on the bright side, I had managed to finish the work I had been sure I would not be able to complete by today.

I threw said stack of papers down onto my desk, the folders in disarray, though still organized in some sort of twisted way that made sense to only me. It had taken me a whole hour to just place the photos in their correct places, and that was an hour I would never get back.

I blamed my zombie-like state completely on my boss, but in the end it would only hurt him, as when I was sleep deprived I didn't work as well. I looked down at my schedule, and not wanting to be late like yesterday, I rushed to the shoot, though it didn't start for half an hour.

As I swiftly walked down the halls, my camera bouncing on its cord, I looked to my side, proud. The walls of the photography section were decorated with the best photos, taken by the best, decided by the best. Not to brag, but quite a lot of the pictures were actually mine, and I looked along them, thinking about how I could have asked that module to move a bit for one of the, or positioned that camera differently for another.

Though my job was, of course, photographing modules in the newest fashion, it was not my highest passion. I liked the little things, capturing the beauty of the world. Sunrises, nature, innocent children playing in the summer light, the things that most people didn't see.

Lost in thought, I didn't see the women walking towards me until it was too late. We collided, and this time I clung to my folders as if they were my life line, clutching them with my left arm against my chest as tightly as I could. The coffee in her hand became airborne, flying through the air and coming to contact on my shirt. I tripped and she fell on top of me, her petite frame laying against my chest, her fiery ginger hair in my mouth. I laid there unmoving, desperately fighting the urge t push her off my and run away in embarrassment. Luckily, though, she soon lifted of me herself, he freckled face pink with blush.

The photographer in me notice how photogenic she was, with her bold hair, snow white skin and emerald green eyes. She started apologizing profusely, running her hands over the almost invisible coffee stain on my shirt before realizing what she was doing an pulling away, leaving me blushing even harder than she was. We both got our footing, looking into each other's eyes for a second. Spontaneously, we both started laughing, something I hadn't done for a very long time.

'Hi there, my names Alec Lightwood. Are you new here?" We sat in my office, me on my office chair, her on the table, her legs crossed gracefully, though I beg to differ. I certainly hope her answer was yes because, though I had never seen her around the office before, I wasn't one to pay that much attention, and, having made that same mistake before, didn't want to relive it.

"Yes actually, this is my first day." I smiled at her, whilst inwardly letting out the breath I had been holding.

"Well, I'm sorry for ruining it." I said, looking down and feeling bad about not paying attention.

"What are you talking about?" she replied, "I was the one that spilled coffee on you." I was happy that there were no hard feelings, because I think we're on the way to becoming great friends.

"So, where were you headed to when you… met me?" she asked curiously. The question brought up the memory of the photoshoot and, looking down at my watch, I realized I only had five minutes to get there.

"Shit. I had a photoshoot in five, 'gotta run. It was nice to meet you, hopefully we'll run into each other again." I smile, realizing the pun after I said it.

"Hopefully not so literally next time." She added, and we both laughed. "I'm Clary, by the way. Clary Fray." I shot her one last smile before turning and rushing to the set.

"Sorry, sorry." I exclaimed as I rushed into the room with only a minute to spare. "I was helping the newest member of our office." I explained to nobody in particular. Right, now I remember. Nobody care about you here I thought, my mood lowering significantly.

"No, stop looking like the fucking ice queen." I muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. I was starting to lose my temper, the models weren't trying, and though it didn't affect them that much –I would get them looking pretty in the end-, I didn't want to be here and my mood was officially at rock bottom. "Okay. Stay… there!" when Camille finally looked remotely okay, I snapped a picture, looking over it once before announcing that everyone could leave. "Dear lord, why does the universe hate me?" I said to myself, collecting my camera pieces and the papers before returning to my office.

I decide I had to go home at a remotely reasonable time today, as I had been sleep deprived for almost a week now and had pretty much become monosyllabic. I locked the door of my office and turned around, walking down the hall. Looking back on it, the day had been pretty good, with the new girl and all. Remorsefully, I realised I hadn't received and colourful messages. I was honestly surprised at how down I felt because of that, though, I guess I did ask.

As I carried on walking, I noticed one of the last offices with their lights on. As I walked passed and glance through the window, curious as to see who was here later then me, I say my red headed friend. Taking a leap of faith I knocked on the door and at her request, let myself inside.

"Alec! Nice to see you."

"You do realise that work ends at four thirty, right?" She properly looked up from her work, one brow lifted.

"I could say the same to you." She retorted, though in a joking manner. I grinned before stepping full into the room.

"You should go home to soon, don't over exert yourself on your first day." I said it softly, in the same tone I use when talking to my sister –aside to when she's being an ass, of course-. She nodded, giving her work one last glance before gathering it up in her arm and standing. She walked out from behind her desk and walked up to me, smiling sweetly.

"Yeah, you're probably right." She said, having to look up at me as I was unusually tall. I nodded before a thought came to mind.

"Are you doing anything tonight? I'm meeting up with my sibling for dinner, would you like to accompany me?" I think Izzy will like her, Jace, perhaps, no so much. She looked up to the ceiling as if thinking before looking back at me and nodding.

"I would love to, if you're sure I'm welcome." I nodded quickly.

"Of course you are." With that I lifted my arm, allowing her to pass under it. She did just that, giggling as she did so. I shut her door and we walked along side each other down the corner. Oblivious I was, though, to the saddened golden green stare burning into the back of my head as I left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn, I sound like Yoda in that last sentence there. Oh well. I don't personally think the second chapter is as good as the first, but what do y'all think? Please review, gimmy all your thought.


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